A 2004 Freightliner truck being driven by Rosalie Champlin of Arkansas lost control and traveled off the roadway on Interstate 44 near Joplin Missouri.  The large truck left the highway and turned over, but came to rest partially blocking the westbound lanes of Highway 44.  The accident happened at approximately 4:30 a.m. on January 16.  Donald and Alice Cauthren of Brighton Missouri were also driving westbound on Highway 44 and were unable to see the overturned Freightliner in time to avoid an immenent collision.  The Cauthren's small Dodge pickup truck violently struck the rear of the tractor-trailer and overturned also.

This tractor-trailer crash resulted in the untimely death of both Alice Cauthren and Donald Cauthren.  Their bodies were transported from the scene to Thorn Hill-Dillon Funeral Home in Joplin Missouri.  The Cauthrens had been happily married for quite sometime and authorities have not reported where they were coming from or heading to at the time of the collision.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require that truck drivers do not operate over the hours of service, meaning that they can only drive a truck for a set number of consecutive hours before an 8 hour rest period is required.  It may be too early to determine what potentially caused this truck driver to lose control of his truck, but with the right Missouri personal injury law firm, the surviving Cauthren family members may be able to get justice for this senseless loss.

If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent operation of a truck driver or careless hiring practices of a commercial trucking carrier, contact Missouri tractor-trailer injury attorney Stephen Schultz and get the wrongful death lawyers at Schultz Legal Group on your side.  Our lawyers will dispatch a private investigations team to the scene and make sure that vital evidence is not lost or altered.